


A Brief History: the ones who were lost

by TheLittleBox



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: As One Does, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hanging out in a graveyard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 13:12:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4920937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleBox/pseuds/TheLittleBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She had told him where they were going but not why, and he hadn't asked, even as he looked at her with his forehead creased in a frown, the same one that usually preceded an interrogation. Maybe it was because she had bribed him with coffee, maybe it was the pinched look she knew was on her face, but he just nodded and followed, the way he always did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Brief History: the ones who were lost

The grave was well tended. Fresh flowers lay upon the clean swept surface of the plaque, white petals obscured most of Allison’s name, only the stark line of the A peaking between the lilies. Lydia wasn’t surprised to have missed Scott, he never stayed long.

Sometimes Lydia would lay on the ground over where the casket had been lowered, pressing her ear to soft the grass, listening. She would remember the way Allison’s nose wrinkled when she smiled her brightest smiles. How deft and steady her hands had been, even at the most terrifying times, her eyes sharp, and her will like iron.

As she lay, Lydia could hear whispers, faint snatches of her friend's voice in the hiss of wind through tall grass. The words swept away before Lydia could grasp their meaning.

Today she heard nothing but the sounds of the forest, and soft breathing and steady footfalls of Jordan as he walked behind her, a grounding presence at her back. 

She had told him where they were going but not why, and he hadn't asked, even as he looked at her with his forehead creased in a frown, the same one that usually preceded an interrogation. Maybe it was because she had bribed him with coffee, maybe it was the pinched look she knew was on her face, but he just nodded and followed, the way he always did.

“I wanted to introduce you,” she said, gesturing between Jordan and the headstone as they came to a stop before Allison’s grave. Lydia forced a smile as she spoke, but it slipped, her eyes lingering on the lilies before she turned back to Jordan.

“Was she a werewolf or...?” He trailed off, his eyebrows raised in a question as he squinted down at her though the late afternoon light. 

“No,” she said quickly, pursing her lips as she thought “she was, ahh,” Her throat burned as it constricted painfully around the words and she struggled to breath for a horrible moment. Then she was free of the grief as quickly as it had seized her, leaving her shaken, and tired. She forced herself to continue, voice carefully steady as she focused on shaping the words with her tongue and lips. “Allison was a hunter.” 

Jordan waited silently for Lydia to collect her thoughts, his eyes soft and head down. He did not move to comfort her, or rush her, and she loved him for it. 

“She was strong, and-” Lydia took a quick breath “She killed an Oni. No one’s ever done that before.” a breeze tugged at her skirt and tousled her curls, and she fell silent to listen. 

She remembered laughter and talking late into the night about nothing, about everything. Teasing smiles and warm hugs, and the first time Lydia had looked at Allison and knew, suddenly and without doubt or fear, that she loved her.

Lydia’s eyes prickled and she turned away from the wind and into Jordan. He stiffened in surprise as she clung to him, then wrapped himself around her, warm and solid. His cheek coming to rest against her hair.

“We were going to see this movie together. It was supposed to come out right after finals and that was how we were going to celebrate.” Her voice was trembling but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She could practically see herself and Allison walking into the theater together, relief at having time off, and a whole summer ahead of them. “I couldn’t-” Her voice finally broke and she buried her face in his jacket and held on, frustrated and needing Jordan to understand but unable to collect herself. This was not how she’d meant this to go at all.

Lydia had cried for Allison before, hard and long, but she had never allowed herself to break down in front of anyone, not since that first night. It was a relief to be held as as she shook apart, and remembered. 

 

Her eyes felt puffy and sore by the time her sobs faded to hiccups. Jordan smoothed her hair and pressed her face into his neck, rocking them gently where they stood. She felt empty and exhausted, content to simply lean against Jordan and listen to him breathe. Idly she wondered how much her mascara had smeared as her breathing began to even out.

“She must have been very important to you,” He said softly, the words as much vibrations against her cheek as they were sound.

“Very,” Lydia’s voice was so quiet and ragged she wondered if Jordan had heard her until he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She didn’t know why it felt so important that he know Allison. How wonderful and kind she had been, how much she had meant to Lydia, but it was comforting that he understood at least a little bit of what had been between them. 

Lydia finally pulled away, her mind quiet. She looked up into worried eyes and a gentle smile. Jordan didn’t seem to notice the blotchy wetness on his collar. She smiled back before turning to kneel and brush her fingers over cool stone of Allison’s plaque. Lydia lingered a moment, then stood and led Jordan away.

 

They walked through the graveyard, stopping at Boyd and Erica’s headstones. She told Jordan all she remembered about them, how they were alone before Derek, how they took to the bite like they’d been waiting for it. How they’d died. 

Lydia told him about Matt and Gerard, about Kate and the fire. She lead him through the neat lines of headstones, stopping before each the the graves of the people Jackson had killed when he was a Kanima. She listed off names and told stories until the sun began to set and her mouth was dry from talking.

“You said you hear them?” Jordan asked. Lydia turned and leaned back against the low wall that bordered the graveyard as she spoke.

“Not all the the time,” She tilted her head, thinking “It’s like an echo almost, but it’s hard to make out any words.” 

“Does it scare you?”

“It did at first,” She shrugged, wrapping her sweater around herself, suddenly aware of how dark it had gotten, Jordan only a dim outline against the darker backdrop of the forest “But now, it’s...nice.” The word was wrong but she wasn’t sure how else to describe it “Comforting.” She tied again “Like world is remembering them, and so can I.”

“It’s important to remember.” 

Lydia scrutinized him as best she could, but darkness played tricks on her eyes, sending odd shadows swirling across Jordan’s face and completely obscuring his expression.

“You lost someone.” It wasn’t a question, she had known enough death to recognize the sound of it. 

“You’ve lost more people than I have.” There was a smile in his voice but it sounded sad and she leaned forward, squinting to see it. He sauntered toward her and leaned in to kiss her forehead, his breath warm in the cool air. She shivered and stood as he pulled away.

“Who was it?” She asked as they started for the gate.

Jordan didn’t answer right away, instead looking out over the forest. Remembering, as she had.

“He was in the bomb squad with me in Afghanistan.” he said finally, dull and emotionless “He went into a building, never came out.” 

It wasn’t much but the words seemed to exhaust him. Lydia reached out to tangle their fingers together. He didn’t slow but he held her hand tightly in his as he lead her back to his car.

 

Lydia pulled the car door shut behind her and leaned her head against the window, looking out over the shadowy shapes of gravestones as the engine purred to life. She could hear whispers, low and calm, nearly drowned out by the crunch of gravel under the tires. 

As the trees closed in around them Lydia turned back to Jordan. His face was lit by the lights off the dash, a frown line between his eyebrows and eyes fixed on the road ahead. She couldn’t remember the last time he had talked about the bomb squad. He always said there was enough disaster in Beacon Hills without war stories. He wasn't wrong. Still, she wondered about the person he had lost. Without a name she wouldn’t be able to look him up (easily) and maybe Jordan had been thinking the same thing. He knew she would. 

They pulled out onto the main road, the rumble of the tires over pavement soothing Lydia into a doze filled with half dreams of fire, and the smell of cooked meat.

 

A gentle hand woke her and she looked up into Jordan’s face. He was standing next to her open door, the car parked at the curb outside of her house. He silently smoothed her hair back from her face, looking curiously down at her as if he weren’t sure she was really awake.

The street light shone into Lydia’s eyes as she leaned into Jordan and allowed him to help her from the car. She felt wrung out and a little unsteady on her feet. The graveyard always took it’s toll on her, but this time it was worse. She forced herself to stand on her own so she could look Jordan over. He looked little better than she felt but she couldn’t help but be glad they had gone. He needed to know what he was getting himself into. What he already gotten himself into.

“Will you tell me about him some time?” 

Jordan sighed, but didn’t pretend to misunderstand. He glanced away, and up at the stars before turning back at Lydia. He almost seemed exasperated as he tilted his head to shade his eyes from their circle of street light. She raised an eyebrow at him, and his shoulders slumped as he nodded.

“I will.” 

“Good.” She said primly and leaned forward at the waist “Now, walk me to my door and kiss me goodnight.” 

He laughed and did as he was told.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my lovely Beta for the much needed help.


End file.
